Dundee United boss Peter Houston: Don't write us off just yet

THE Tannadice manager insists the Arabs are still a force to be reckoned with despite failing to win any of their last 10 matches at home.

DUNDEE UNITED boss Peter Houston last night examined the wreckage of a season that has gone into freefall and delivered a defiant verdict: Write us off at your peril.

Sunday’s 4-3 loss to St Mirren meant United have won none of the last 10 league or League Cup matches at Tannadice.

The opening of the transfer window threatens to deprive Houston of at least one of his star names if the club is forced to accept a cash injection he won’t be able to touch.

And the manager freely admits there always has to be a worry over a team that can’t stop losing goals.

But Houston denies his own situation, being out of contract at the end of the season, has been the source of any disquiet affecting the team’s stability.

He left Tannadice after the St Mirren game without speaking to the media but last night opened up to Record Sport and explained why results haven’t disturbed his peace of mind.

Houston said: “I was with friends after the loss to St Mirren and feeling on a downer until the conversation turned to who might be in the SPL’s top six after the split.

“If you take Celtic, who are top, and Dundee, who have become a little isolated at the bottom, out of the equation it’s fair to say all of us who are left have a chance of making the top half.

“That’s why I say you write Dundee United off at your peril. I know our home record’s become an issue for the press and the fans and I understand why. Something like that does put additional pressure on players’ shoulders.

“I looked at young Keith Watson after he made the mistake that cost us one of the goals against St Mirren and he was what we call in football a bag of jaggies. He was full of nerves for the next 10 minutes and that wasn’t as a result of getting shouted at by the bench I can assure you.

“His head had gone and that’s what happens to players when mistakes prey on their minds.

“Feeling good about yourself is a huge part of doing well in this game and that’s why I think Caley Thistle have been sensational this season. They took four off us at their place and set off on a run that’s still going strong.

“We were three up on them after only eight minutes at Tannadice and we still couldn’t close the match out, ending up with a 4-4 draw.

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Houston: "We should have taken more points from certain games this season."

“Confidence breeds confidence in football and uncertainty can breed even greater uncertainty. We’re making individual errors and opposing teams don’t have to work too hard to score against us. That’s what is denting confidence.”

Part of the reason why United have become a source of dismay is that Houston was thought to have a squad talented enough to be the best outside of Celtic Park.

Now he faces a wait to see if any of his outstanding individuals, like Gary Mackay-Steven or Johnny Russell, are lured away during the January transfer window.

Houston said: “That situation once made me uptight – but not any more. We won the Scottish Cup 18 months ago and now there are only two survivors of the starting 11, Jon Daly and Sean Dillon, left at the club.

“When David Goodwillie left for Blackburn I was uptight but now I’m philosophical and I realise a club like Dundee United has to sell one player a year to survive.

“If somebody comes in for Mackay-Steven he’ll be offski. I know that and I’m used to the situation. There’s a need for clubs like ours to balance the books and I’m relaxed about that.”

Houston also refuses to get worked up over his own contractual situation. Talks between his agent, John Colquhoun, and United chairman Steven Thompson have broken up for the festive period and will resume when the rest of the country goes back to work.

Houston added: “It’s not just about me. I’ve got a backroom team made up of Gary Kirk, Paul Hegarty and Stevie Banks to consider as well. The chairman asked for some figures about costs at the club and I’ve provided him with them. We’ll talk when he comes back after his break.

“Whether it’s me or players, it’s a case of what will be will be. If clubs bid the right money I’ll be losing players.

“But there is a lack of depth to the squad at the moment and I can’t deny that’s hurting us. We’ll be missing Willo Flood, Sean Dillon and Brian McLean when we go to Pittodrie for our next match.

“I think I’ve got good young players to fill in for them but sometimes it’s case of throwing them in and hoping for the best. I looked at Aberdeen’s bench for their last match and thought, ‘Wow, that’s some group of players to have at your disposal’.

“But I’d only be a worried man if my more experienced players weren’t giving a toss about the position we’re in. I know they’re working their socks off. The bottom line is we need to get back to not conceding so many goals.

“My feeling is Dundee United should be judged at the end of the season and not at New Year. I know it’s easy for me to say that but I honestly believe it to be the only sensible course of action to take.

“Teams in the SPL this season have had a habit of doing better on the road. If we can still say that after Pittodrie I’ll be pleased because football is sometimes about how you react to adversity.”